Woman experiences tornado strike for second time

Friday

Nov 18, 2011 at 2:18 PM

Does lightening ever strike the same place twice? A Lexington woman has learned a tornado can affect the same family twice.

BY REBEKAH CANSLER MCGEECorrespondent

Does lightening ever strike the same place twice? A Lexington woman has learned a tornado can affect the same family twice.When Tami Lapeyrouse was 11, living in Texas with her family, she experienced a tornado's destruction for the first time. Lapeyrouse's childhood home was completely destroyed."The tornado, when I was 11, was so large when you looked outside, you couldn't see the tornado. The sky just looked so dark," Lapeyrouse said.Wednesday night would be forever marked as the second time her home was altered by the swirling winds. Lapeyrouse had just entered her home on Silver Ridge Drive when her son, Josh, 18, greeted her with the information that the area was under a tornado warning. Once The Weather Channel showed a map of the tornado, it wasn't but moments later Lapeyrouse gathered her children, Josh and Kaylee, 14, with the order to get in the closet. An all too familiar roar had just begun. Lapeyrouse knew that terrifying sound.Just like her childhood experience, Lapeyrouse took cover in a closet in the middle of her home. The tornado hit the home just as her son, Josh, was closing the door, trapping them inside. In the aftermath, Jeff Moorefield, the next-door neighbor, rescued Lapeyrouse and the children from the closet. Lapeyrouse said it was different this time, due to the fact that she is the adult. "I have to be the one taking care of things now."Lapeyrouse's husband, Craig, was on a business trip, 11 hours away when the storm hit. He wasn't aware of the situation until Lapeyrouse called him from the closet. He has returned, and they already have a disaster relief team working on their home. The extent of the damage is just being discovered. Tarps cover the roof. Glass from every window is missing. Water damaged the walls and floor. Limbs were torn from their trunks. Dirt, leaves and debris covers the outside of the home and per the information Lapeyrouse was given, it will be January before their home is habitable.In Texas, tornados are something with which the population lives. The sirens, the nightly tornado watches and the storms are all a part of everyday life. They are so common that the area required a siren test at noon every Monday. After the tornado took her home, she was terrified every time that siren went off. "This fear led my father to request a transfer — to get away from the tornados!" Lapeyrouse exclaimed as she looked back at her damaged home.After the storm quieted down in 1979, Lapeyrouse noticed the clock had stopped at 6:09. Wednesday night after the tornado was away from her home, Lapeyrouse called her father and noted the time: again 6:09.Lapeyrouse was thankful everyone was safe and felt blessed that so many people had already been to help. The night of the storm brought friends and family to her doorstep, offering to pitch in. The disaster relief team was there before the night was up, putting tarps on her roof. After Kaylee had posted the information about the tornado on Facebook, a friend called a friend, and Lapeyrouse's insurance adjuster arrived. By Friday morning, Josh's car had already been taken away to be fixed; it had been dented with the windows blown out by the storm.Lapeyrouse is still smiling despite the horrible ordeal. Her children are adjusting and even had the opportunity to joke about the situation."Josh's words were 'I don't care if you move to Alaska, I'm not moving with you, you tornado magnet,'" Lapeyrouse said with a laugh.